Surface modifying agents, modified materials and methods

Abstract

The present invention relates to surface modifying agents for polymeric and/or textile materials, methods of making and/or using a surface modifying agent to modify and functionalize polymeric and/or textile materials, and/or methods of using surface modified or functionalized polymeric and textile materials, and/or products using or incorporating surface modified or functionalized polymeric and textile materials. For example, the surface modifying agent in precursor form can be styrene sulfonyl azide monomer, polymer or copolymer capable of undergoing a chemical reaction in the presence of heat or light to form one or more styrene sulfonated nitrene monomers, polymers or copolymers, which are capable of chemically reacting with the surface of a polymeric or textile material to endow a specific or desired chemical surface functionality to the surface of a polymeric or textile material. Furthermore, the present invention is possibly preferably directed to a surface modifying agent which comprises a styrene sulfonated nitrene monomer, polymer or polymer containing one or more nitrene functional groups, which are capable of chemically reacting via an insertion reaction into one or more carbon-hydrogen bonds on the surface of a polymeric or textile material in order to chemically attach a specific or desired chemical functionality to the surface of a polymeric or textile material.

I claim: 
     
       1. A surface modified substrate comprising: a polymeric substrate which prior to modification does not contain any functional groups and a surface modifying agent chemically bound to at least one surface of the polymeric substrate, the modified substrate is a textile, the surface modifying agent comprising a first portion that comprises a sulfonyl azide or a copolymer thereof and a second portion that comprises a chemical component capable of imparting a property to a surface of the polymeric substrate; the property is selected from the group consisting of fluorescence, color, biological activity, and increased anti-fouling, and wherein the surface modifying agent is applied to the polymeric substrate in a weight range of 0.05-1.0 g/m 2 . 
     
     
       2. The surface modified substrate of  claim 1  wherein the monomer containing the azide being an aryl sulfonyl azide monomer. 
     
     
       3. The surface modified substrate of  claim 1  wherein the monomer containing the azide being a sulfonated styrene azide monomer. 
     
     
       4. The surface modified substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the surface modifying agent is represented by the following: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
       5. The surface modified substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the surface modifying agent is represented by the following: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
       6. The surface modified substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the surface modifying agent is represented by the following: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
       7. The surface modified substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the surface modifying agent is poly(sodium styrene sulfonate-co-styrenesulfonyl azide).